Sunday, April 24, 2016

Sum-It-Up Sunday : Week #14

Hello all! It's been another wonderful week here at St. Mike's. With finals just around the corner and summer soon to follow, the anticipation has been building up right along with the temperatures! We had a beautiful spring week, and we're looking forward to a couple more before we all head home for the next few months!

This Thursday, we took advantage of a free afternoon on a beautiful day and got ourselves down to the Burlington waterfront! It was the perfect day to sit by the water and take in the best view in town.

On Saturday, we discovered a hike that quickly became a new favorite! The Nebraska Notch trail in Underhill, VT is a quick half-hour drive from SMC, generally the same route you'd take if you were headed to Smuggler's Notch. It's connected to a bunch of trails in the park (for example, we could have taken it all the way up Mt. Mansfield), but we opted for a four mile loop to the Taylor Lodge.

Found the log book right next to a copy of a Jimmy Buffet novel and a half-empty can of Heady Topper! This was certainly a well-loved spot by the locals, it seemed.

While this trail was about the distance of Camel's Hump, there wasn't much altitude gain and we hit a lot of flat stretches. And as much as I love Camel's Hump, what I really loved about this hike was that we weren't looking at the same thing the whole way (i.e. trees). There was a lot of variety: bridges, streams, ponds, wide open areas, denser areas, etc. Long story short, it was beautiful, we'll definitely be back, and I highly recommend it!

After our hike, we stopped by this adorable roadside pie stand on our way back to SMC. It's completely self-service, so all you do is walk in, leave your money in the box, and grab your pie! There's even a little picnic table, paper bowls and utensils if you feel like having a quick slice before you get back on the road.

In addition to their flavors of the week, they also had a few special pies stored in a different fridge for a slightly higher price. We opted for the Key Lime pie, and it was absolutely delicious! Jared, a Key Lime fanatic, claims this was the best he'd ever had. So there you have it! Stop by Poorhouse Pies in Underhill- you definitely won't be disappointed!

My parents came up for the weekend for a bike ride on the lake and to have a visit, so after our hike/pie experience, we met them for dinner at The Farmhouse downtown. This pork burger with cheddar cheese, arugula, kimchi and a sunny-side-up egg was absolutely to die for, especially with a generous squirt of their house-made aioli!

I hope you all had a great week and a wonderful time in the sun these past few days! Stay tuned for the next What-to-Know Wednesday on the 27th!